Thurston Hall Renovation

Project highlights: Thurston Hall Renovation

• Architecture firm: VMDO Architects
• Location:  Washington, D.C.
• Category:  Four
• Project site: Previously developed
• Building program type(s):  Lodging - residence hall/dormitory

• For over 70 years, Thurston Hall at The George Washington University has provided students with formative experiences as they embark on life away from home, often for the first time. This renovation of the hall, a beloved campus asset on the university’s Washington, D.C., campus, utilized its solid bones and addressed significant habitation issues. The renovation also occurred during a period in which such work outpaced new construction in architectural billings. As such, this project is a leading example of shifting trends that demonstrate the benefits of revitalizing the nation’s existing building stock.

  Considering the hall’s location in a historic district and its long and colorful history as a residence for first-year students, adapting Thurston Hall to welcome new generations of students was important to both alumni and the surrounding community. Its original layout featured a donut-style footprint at the center of which stood an unused and overgrown light well. The design team took advantage of this significant opportunity to carve away five stories of the hall’s south portion to create a dynamic courtyard that expands access to natural light. This bold move also densifies the number of residential units while increasing the number of public spaces to nurture community. The building’s exterior was largely untouched in accordance with historic preservation codes, but it now conceals an inward-facing and radically transformed interior. 

In addition to the new courtyard, the excision of the southern portion of the hall created a series of stepped outdoor terraces that define a vertical park system. The resulting spaces are filled with native plantings wrapped by Corten steel that enhances immersion in the natural environment. Across the interior, public spaces around the courtyard provide visual connections and a sense of orientation, a significant improvement from the building’s previously dense corridors.

Recognizing studies that have shown today’s undergraduates face increased mental health challenges, which are often exacerbated by the spaces in which they live and study, each of the renovation’s design elements, from improved indoor air quality to material use, is focused on bolstering student well-being. The team’s thoughtful approach to programming combats social isolation and promotes spontaneous community building. On the building’s north side, double-height student lounges include communal kitchen areas, while its basement houses a new dining hall that serves the entire campus community.

Through this project, a campus icon has been reborn and stands ready to welcome students over the next 100 years.